Guide · Updated 4 October 2026
GPU server power and cooling: what to plan for.
Short answer: an 8-GPU H100 or H200 server can draw up to about 10.2 kW, and a B200 server up to 14.3 kW. Nearly all of it becomes heat. One such server needs a dedicated high-current feed and about 3 tons of continuous cooling.
How much power GPU servers draw
The GPUs dominate. CPUs, memory, fans and networking add the rest. Plan around the vendor’s rated maximum, because training jobs run GPUs near their limit for days.
| GPU | Power per GPU | Typical server | Server power | Cooling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H200 | Up to 700 W per GPU | 8-GPU HGX server, 1.1 TB of GPU memory | Up to ~10.2 kW per server | Air |
| H100 | Up to 700 W per GPU | 8-GPU HGX server, 640 GB of GPU memory | Up to ~10.2 kW per server | Air |
| B200 | Up to 1,000 W per GPU | 8-GPU HGX server, 1.4 TB of GPU memory | Up to ~14.3 kW per server | Air or liquid |
| B300 | Up to 1,100 W per GPU | 8-GPU HGX server, 2.1 TB of GPU memory | Up to ~14 kW per server | Air or liquid |
| GB300 NVL72 | Up to 1,400 W per GPU | 72 Blackwell Ultra GPUs and 36 Grace CPUs in one NVLink domain | ~132–140 kW per rack | Liquid |
| L40S | 350 W per GPU | 4U server with up to 8 PCIe cards | 2.8 kW of GPU power for 8 cards, plus CPUs and fans | Air |
| RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell | Up to 600 W per GPU (configurable lower) | 4U server with 4–8 PCIe cards | Up to 4.8 kW of GPU power for 8 cards, plus CPUs and fans | Air |
| AMD MI300X | Up to 750 W per GPU | 8-GPU OAM platform, 1.5 TB of GPU memory | 6 kW of GPU power for 8 GPUs, plus CPUs and fans | Air |
Vendor-published maxima, checked October 2026.
Why an office can’t run one
- Current at 230 V
- ~44 A for 10.2 kW
- 32 A circuit carries
- ~7.4 kW
- Heat to remove
- ~34,800 BTU/h
- Cooling needed
- ~2.9 tons, all day
An 8-GPU server at full load needs more current than a standard single-phase circuit supplies, and continuous loads should stay near 80% of a breaker’s rating (about 5.9 kW on 32 A), so it needs a three-phase or multiple dedicated feeds. Then the heat: 2.9 tons is two 1.5-ton split ACs running only for that server. Add fan noise that needs its own room, no backup power and a single internet line, and the server spends a lot of its life throttled or idle.
What a data centre adds
- Dual feeds. GPU servers have several power supplies. Split across two independent feeds, one can fail without stopping the server.
- Backup power. UPS and generators carry the load through grid failures. Yotta D1 publishes 48 hours of on-site backup.
- Cooling at density. Racks are provisioned for a power budget, and the cooling is built to match it.
- Hands on site. Someone can reseat a GPU or swap a drive without your team travelling.
Rack maths
Four servers, about 41 kW.
Four 8-GPU H100 servers in one rack can peak at roughly 41 kW. Many colocation racks are provisioned for a fraction of that, which is why placement is planned per configuration.
Cooling
Air until it isn’t.
Most GPU servers today are air-cooled. As racks get denser, rear-door heat exchangers and direct liquid cooling carry the heat away at the rack instead of the room.
Before you place a server
What to measure.
Send us this list and we’ll confirm a placement at Yotta NM1 or D1.
- Rated maximum draw of each server, from the vendor datasheet, not the average you see on a dashboard.
- Number of power supplies, their connectors (C13, C19 or C20) and how they split across two feeds.
- Cooling method: air, or liquid with its own coolant connections.
- Rack units per server and how many servers you want in one rack.
- Network ports and speeds, including any high-speed fabric between servers.
Questions
How much power does an 8-GPU server use?
NVIDIA rates 8-GPU H100 and H200 systems at up to 10.2 kW and B200 systems at up to 14.3 kW. OEM servers built on the same boards are in the same range.
How much cooling does a 10 kW server need?
About 34,800 BTU per hour, or roughly 2.9 tons of cooling, running all the time. That is two typical 1.5-ton split ACs dedicated to one server.
Can I run a GPU server on a normal office circuit?
Not an 8-GPU server at full load. At 230 V, 10.2 kW is about 44 A, more than a 32 A single-phase circuit can carry (about 7.4 kW).
Do GPU servers need liquid cooling?
Most H100, H200 and PCIe GPU servers are air-cooled. Very dense racks and some Blackwell configurations use liquid cooling.
